The Centrality
"The Centrality is quite possibly the most successful totalitarian dictatorship in human history. It is a frightening fact." -UN Secretary-General Henry Crespo The Centrality is a totalitarian government that appears in the SDNW4 universe. It rules ten sectors of space, its capital being in The Center Sector. It was founded by the dictator Dovan Aybeem in 2220, after consolidating his hold over the planet Centrum. Despite its ideological position, a isolationist policy and careful diplomacy ensured that the Centrality did not have to worry about many conflicts. It helped that many of its neighbors were either isolationist themselves, were technologically backward or simply were not aggresive. Occasionally, however, a Radical Interventionist ruler rises, and tries to increase the Centrality's clout, often too agressively, causing his removal or worse, his assasination. The Centrality today is still distrusted by most states for ideological reasons, though the Centrality's historical lack of aggresive behavior has helped to temper this. The Centrality's biggest trading partners are the United Nations of Earth and Nova Terra, the Iduran Confederadtion, and the Alcatar Empire. The Centrality has a lukewarm relationship with vitually every one of its neighbors, due to a fear of commiting itself to a situation that would endanger the Centrality. The Centrality once faced border conflics with the Eoghans, but at present they have solved by treaty many outstanding issues. The Centrality however still mantains a large fleet near its border with the EUC just in case. History "You sure have to hand it to the Centralists. They pulled off the dream of many a dictator: a thousand-year autocracy. I'm sure Dovan is celebrating in Hell right now." ''-Leslie Duke, Solarian ambassador to the Centrality, commenting on the Centrality's celebration of its 1000th anniversary in 3220. 'Origins and Dovan's rule' The Centrality is a child of the Great Upheaval, as many of its inhabitants were refugees from the chaos of the early 23rd century. They settled on a group of inhabitable planets, including the sector now known as The Center. Among those refugees was a young man: Dovan Aybeem. He had lost his entire family during the Upheaval, grew bitter at the chaotic conditions of his time, and came to view democracy, as well as Left and Right-wing ideologies, as the primary cause of the suffering he saw. Convinced that Humanity could only live under an iron fist, to control its "rebellious instincts and disorderly conducts", he began to formulate his political ideas, founding the Centralist Party in 2210. Dovan believed that the State must be the absolute authority of the land and that the people serve it. The State would mantain order and security at all costs, to the point that excessive force was encouraged, but Dovan recognized that there needed to be limits. In short, the State would use every tool at its disposal in order to retain absolute power, even if it required collaborating with states with opposing ideologies and granting some concessions to the more moderate factions of the Centrality. Dovan also did not believe in intervening in other nation's affairs, thinking that it would risk the Centrality's security by forcing it into a confrontation it couldn't win. He was not above foreign intervertion, but minimized foreign policy as much as possible. Dovan's rise to power was swift, helped by the populace's despair at the terrible and anarchic conditions they lived in. He ruthlessly destroyed his enemies, purged his party of any opponents to his rule, and gave the people some security. He became very popular and he soon had total control over The Center, and was planning to "restore order" in nearby worlds. The arrival of hyperdrives aided Dovan's efforts in controlling the Centrality, and by 2240 the Centrality was one of the more stable Human states of the period. It was the Centrality's scientists who first discovered the existence of ESPers, through inhumane experiments, and Dovan discovered that he was one. The discovery of ESPers became a tight secret, not revealed until Dovan's death, and Dovan formed a secret corps of trained ESPers to aid in ruling the Centrality. Said group would later become known as "Dovan's Heirs", because virtually every Centralist leader after Dovan came from this group. The Diaspora furnished many of the early inhabitants of the Centrality, most of them fleeing the chaos of Earth and Nova Terra to find safety in the Centrality. As the 23rd century progressed, however, the Great Upheaval was starting to wind down, and some semblace of order returning to the Homeworlds. Dovan grew increasingly fearful that once the Homeworlds stabilized, the Centrality would be in danger. He also was aware that he was not going to live forever, and appointed Fratz Venron, his best student, as his succesor. The Great Upheaval finally ended around 2250, and the Centrality began a firm clampdown on its borders. Dovan was aging by this time, increasingly withdrawn from State affairs to focus on more mysterious workings. The dictator's activities in this period are a mystery, and many theories abound. The administration of the Centrality was now effectively under the control of Dovan's Heirs, though their feudings were infamous. Dovan nevertheless retained enough authority in 2281 to purge the Centrality of any opposition to his chosen succesor and to crush a revolt in 2284. He finally died in 2290, under unknown circumstances, and given a grandiose funeral. The Great Founder was dead, but his succesors would continue to develop and expand the Centrality to the form it is now: a totalitarian, seemengly unstoppable state, albeit a rather isolationist one. Dovan is still remembered fondly by the Centralite populace, something official propaganda intends to mantain. 'Expansion and Consolidation' The period from Dovan's death to the 31st century was one of growing expansion and maturity. From the Center, Centralist armies and fleets spanned to all directions, planting the Black Star flag in dozens of worlds, and so extending the reach of Centralism. During this period the Centrality kept relations with Earth and Nova Terra as cordial as possible, despite their sharp repulsion at Centralist ideology. Expansion was deliberately made slow, as the Centralists did not want to risk having to struggle with governing too many colonies. The Center and the inner worlds became highly developed, thanks to well-planned economic policies, but were also the bastions of Party control. Their seeming cleaness masked a efficient security apparatus utilizing every technological (and not so technological) tool at its disposal to keep order and social harmony. Such methods were less effective the farther one went from the Center, but the Centralists' caution and reliance on economic prosperity ensured that rebellions were few and far between, and only in the colonies. Foreign policy was very much isolationistic, and there were no noticeable foreign policy events for centuries. About the only outstanding interaction with the outside galaxy was during the Chammarran Contention, when the Centrality sent warships as a gesture of solidarity to the combined fleet that faced down the Chammarran forces near the middle of the 31st century. The Centralist rulers felt that too much interaction with other polities would breed a reckless foreing policy that could lead to disaster. The Centrality was thus rather insular, rarely poking its head out, though it always welcomed scientific advances from other nations. Embassies stationed at Centrum rarely had contact with the Central Government, and it was often joked that nations could recall their ambassadors from the Centrality and the Centralists not notice, nor care. By the 31st century the Centrality had reached it's modern-day borders, and further expansion slowed down to a trickle. It was felt that the benefits of more territory were outweighted by the potentially hostile reactions of neighboring states who felt threatened by any Centralist advance. At the same time, however, there was a growing sense that the Centrality's traditional isolationism was wanting. This "Interventionist" school was gaining ground from the 29th century onward, despite the bitter resisitance of the old guard. The first half of the 31st century saw the Interventionists gain key posts in the government, which finally resulted in the rise of Paul Theodorus. His Great Purge, on the surface designed "to wipe out all vestiges of left and right wing ideologies in the Party and Society", was in fact meant to eliminate the Isolationist factions in the government. He was too harsh, however, even for Centralist standards; while his emergency measures ensured that few citizens fled the country, it caused a split in the Interventionist ranks: there were now moderates and radicals jockeying for power, which ensured the survival of the remaining Isolationists. While Theodorus was saavy enough to keep the moderates and Isolationists in check, his intention to radically change Centralist foreign policy would haunt him in the end. For he was the one who transformed the Shimor Crisis with the Eoghan United Commons into a war, the first of several. State Information "''There can be many layers of power in the State, but there must be only one State." ''-Fratz Venron, the Centrality's second Dictator '''Government Type:' Totalitarian Autocracy Head of State: '''President and Dictator of the Centrality. '''Head of Government: President of the Centralist Party Legislature: Supreme Congress of The Centrality. All members are appointed by the Party Council, headed by the Secretary General. Congress members are appointed for life. Judiciary: Supreme Court of The Centrality. Members are appointed by the President for life. The President reserves the right to pardon individuals or commute sentences, but such powers are not used often. Political Parties: The Centralist Party is the only permitted political group. All other parties are banned and persecuted. Languages: 'English (primary), Spanish, French, German, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Swahilli (secondaries), all others spoken in enclaves. '''Religions: '''The Centrality is officialy atheist, though a couple of religions are practiced in secret in the colonies, and then only in small numbers. '''Capital: '''Central City, Centrum, The Center Sector Sectors "''The instant you see a Black Star flag planted on the ground, you know you're in Centralite real-estate." -George Lackland, SIS '''Total Population: 290 Billion Total GDP: $62,000 Military "Why carry a big stick when you have a mace?" -Philon Tate, Centralite dictator Centralist Navy The Navy has a budget of $40,000. The following ships are in service: 5 Ultra-heavy hulls (Nova-class Dreadnoughts) ($700x5=$3,500) 10 Super-heavy hulls (Disruptor-class Battleships) ($300x10=$3,000) 20 Heavy hulls (Dragon-class Battlecruisers) ($150x20=$3,000) 40 Medium hulls (Thesus-class Cruisers) ($70x40=$2,800) 80 Light hulls (Schwartz-class Destroyers) ($40x80=$3,200) 160 Ultra-light hulls (Blitz-class Frigates) ($20x160=$3,200) 100 Yachts (Hardshell-class Cutters) ($5x100=$500) 1000 Shuttles (Zeta-class) ($50: 20 per $1) 450 Hyper-light Shuttles (Tetra-class) ($30: 15 per $1) 5 Ultra-heavy carriers (Stormfront-class Ultracarrier) ($700x5=$3,500): 1,750 Hawk-class fighters and 350 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. 10 Super-heavy carriers (Tiger-class Supercarrier) ($300x10=$3,000): 750 Hawk-class fighters and 150 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. 20 Heavy carriers (Thunder-class Battle Carrier) ($150x20=$3,000): 375 Hawk-class fighters and 75 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. 40 Medium carriers (Gallant-class Fleet Carrier) ($70x40=$2,800): 175 Hawk-class fighters and 35 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. 80 Light carriers (Outpost-class Light Carrier) ($40x80=$3,200): 100 Hawk-class fighters and 20 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. 160 Ultra-light carriers (Locust-class Escort Carrier) ($20x160=$3,200): 50 Hawk-class fighters and 10 Fireball-class gunboats per carrier. Total carrier-borne fighters: 46,750. Total carrier-borne gunships: 9,350 Ships to be scrapped or mothballed (January-August 3400): 540 Blitz-class Frigates as of Jan 3400 (10 sold to Iduran Confederation, 2 recalled to replace losses after Battle of Hawk's Nest). Current total: 528. 28 Schwartz-class Destroyers as of Jan 3400 (1 recalled to replace losses after Battle of Hawk's Nest) Current total: 27 40 Locust-class Escort Carriers New ships that have entered service: x6 $70 Thesus-class Cruisers Construction finished Jun 3400, Fitting complete Aug 3400 x6 $70 Gallant-class Fleet Carriers Construction finished Jun 3400, Fitting complete Aug 3400 Centralist Ground Forces The army has a budget of $22,000. Army numbers are the following: Elite Forces ($4,000): 200,000,000 @ 50,000/$1 with 3x kit multiplier Regular Forces ($8,000): 800,000,000 @ 100,000/$1 with 2x kit multiplier Garrison/Conscript Forces ($10,000): 2,000,000,000 @ 200,000/$1 with 1x kit multiplier Total Ground Forces: 3,000,000,000 troops Note: Reduction in ground numbers has been canceled. Foreign relations "Those who dismiss the art of diplomacy should not act surprised once they see an invading army inside their capital." -Dovan Aybeem, in The Workings of the State. Eoghan United Commons: Suspicion- The Centrality and the EUC have fought a few low-key border conflicts in the past, as well as a major war. Currently the border between them is peaceful and trade has become a normal ocurrence, but ideological differences mean that there is still distrust. Nova Atlantean Commonwealth of Worlds: '''Suspicion- The Commonwealth is an EUC ally, and thus fought the Centrality during the Border Wars and the Second Centralist War. At present both nations are at peace and have a trade relationship, but once again ideology prevents further interaction. '''Iduran Confederation: '''Neutral- The often-chaotic nature of the Iduran government means that, aside from regular trade, the Centrality cannot get much diplomatically. Nevertheless, the Idurans remain one of the Centrality's main trade partners. '''Humanist Union: Suspicion- The victory of the Progressive faction in the Interstellar Cooperative Union's Civil War created a potentially hostile new entity near the Centrality's borders, already having to cope with the EUC-NAC alliance and the left-wing regimes of the Ranoideans and the Commune. To forestall a possible war with the new Humanist Union, Centrum, after a few decades of non-recognition, signed a non-aggression pact with Elysion in 3400. Relations have thus stabilized, though ideological differences remain the main source of strain. Altacar Empire: Neutral- Despite ideological differences, the Centrality does trade regularly with the Altacars. In fact, Altacar is one of the main trading partners of the Centrality. United Star Kingdom of New Anglia: '''Suspicion '''Imperium of Man: Neutral Category:National Information Category:Centrality